Evanston woman recovering in hospital after run-in with buck
Oct 7, 2022, 7:26 PM | Updated: Oct 10, 2022, 12:15 pm
EVANSTON, Wyo. — A woman in Evanston was hospitalized after she was gored by a buck just outside her back door Thursday morning. The buck also jabbed her husband when he jumped in to help. It was a real shock for a neighborhood that is used to seeing plenty of deer.
On Thursday, mid-morning, Wanda Kaynor stepped outside to take her husband, Daniel, to an appointment.
“There was this buck sitting there, just laying there,” he said.
Wanda was startled, and so was their dog.
“He went after him. Of course, the buck didn’t like that. So, he went after him with his antlers and shoved him underneath the car,” Daniel said.
That’s when Wanda fought back.
“She threw her hat at the thing, and of course, it came after her now,” said the husband.
The four-point buck thrust its antlers into Wanda, goring her with seven puncture wounds. The buck knocked her to the ground, crushing a vertebra in her back. That’s when Daniel came outside and saw what was going on.
“I grabbed him by the antlers, trying to pull him off,” he said.
Daniel got punctured by an antler along his waistline.
Daniel Kaynor in Evanston, Wyoming. His wife was gored by a buck yesterday morning. She’s recovering in the hospital. He also got a puncture wound when he jumped in to pull the buck off. (Jed Boal, KSL TV)
“It happened so fast,” he said.
Wanda, badly hurt, got out of the way. A UPS driver had just delivered a package across the street. So, he lifted Wanda into a car and a neighbor drove her to the hospital.
“We just got instantaneously all of his help,” Daniel said.
She’ll be there several days, and likely spend a couple of weeks at a rehabilitation center, her husband said.
After the attack, the buck wandered around to their front yard and hung out in the shade for a couple of hours. A relative notified Wyoming Fish and Game, and a wildlife officer put the animal down. They do that after a dangerous encounter with humans.
Daniel said his wife is traumatized.
“Having a buck stomp on you on the ground… I was pretty traumatized last night myself,” he said. A frightening reminder about the wildlife right outside.
“Wild animals are wild animals,” he said. And the Kaynors see them a little bit differently today.
“I think she’s going to check that door when she comes out, for sure,” he said.
